Bakewell. — Is Life a Distinct Force ? 418 



" 3 p.m. Innumerable monads developed in water surrounding tails ; 

 began to smell offensively." [Thrown away.] 



Now, contrast this picture of decomposition following somatic death 

 with what took place when the portions of tails were supplied with nutri- 

 ment. The note is that they " showed no Bacteria either at 10 a.m. or 

 3 p.m., and, of course, no monads ; quantities of youug cells, particularly 

 upon and near the cut surface. Circulation slowly continuing in large vessels. 

 In the fluid floating about were quantities of young cells exactly resembling 

 leucocytes." Even at 10 p.m., although the day was excessively hot, the 

 portion kept under the microscope showed no sign of decomposition. 



It is evident that this motion of the blood in the smaller vessels cannot be 

 from capillary attraction, for, after the first few moments, the blood in the 

 capillaries must have attained its equilibrium. Place a coloured fluid con- 

 taining solid non-living particles in a capillary glass tube under the micro- 

 scope, and you will find that, in a few moments, the particles will be at 

 rest. 



The following experiment shows the length of time the capillary circula- 

 tion will continue without nutriment — " 10th March, 1878, end of tadpole's 

 tail, circulation continued for thirty-five minutes after separation ; not 

 much slower than natural ; block at bifurcation of artery ; went against 

 gravity." This note refers to a rough drawing made in my note book of the 

 appearances presented at two periods after the separation of the tail. 



I have other notes of this phenomenon, but not many, as it was of such 

 invariable occurrence that I soon ceased to note it. It may be seen by 

 anyone who will take a microscope to a slaughterhouse, and obtain a portion 

 of peritonaeum or other transparent tissue from animals just slaughtered. 



In the lower animals the ciliary motion is a very marked and frequent 

 phenomenon. It is chiefly by this that they procure food. It seems to con- 

 tinue without cessation during the whole lifetime of the animal, and to be 

 quite independent of anything like what we recognize as muscular tissue in 

 the higher animals. So also is the curious pulsation in some of the 

 Badiata, the extremely rapid contraction of the stalk of the Vorticella, and 

 the protrusion of the pseudopodia of many other Badiata. All these, and 

 many more that might be mentioned if time permitted, are manifestations 

 of the power of life to produce motion in living protoplasm. 



The higher animals not only move about by means of their locomotory 

 organs, but in every part of their bodies there is a continual circulation of 

 nutritive fluids, of secretions or of excretions, and there is continual motion 

 of the organs of circulation, respiration, and digestion. In addition to these 

 there is the motion produced by the rapid waste and renewal of tissue that 

 is constantly going on in their bodies. 



